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“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Barry gave him a skeptical look, worried about taking the girls out because of their behavior recently. All four of them had been rowdy the entire week leading up to the hunt. He’d been struggling to get the girls to listen to him, and they often broke out into play fights or ran away, refusing to listen.
He assumed it was because of the upcoming hunt. His girls were smart and knew it was approaching. Anytime someone mentioned it, the girls would start barking like crazy, their tails wagging happily.
“If we don’t take them, I think they’ll riot. Besides, it will give the others a chance to look over the raptor pen and maybe figure out what they’re plotting.
“I don’t like this, Owen. The girls have been acting weird, and not knowing what they are planning is making everyone on edge.
“That’s why I’m taking you with me. I know you’ll have my back.”
Barry froze, and the girls started barking, especially Charlie, who looked really excited. He smiled at his girls, not noticing the look on Barry's face.
“They must really want to hunt. I can’t blame them, though this padlock is too small and doesn’t give them enough room to run.”
Barry nodded in agreement, having heard similar complaints in the past.
"Are you really going to wear that during the hunt?"
He gave Barry a confused look until he noticed him staring at the outfit he was wearing. He shifted in discomfort, both from Barry and the clothes he was wearing, which were very uncomfortable and the only clothes he had left, thanks to Blue.
"It'll be fine."
Barry gave him a suspicious look, and he decided it was time for the hunt to begin.
He called the girls and was surprised when they were right there waiting for him. All of them seemed eager to leave their tails wagging, even Blue, although she tried to hide it. He smiled and pet each of his girls while Barry climbed onto his own bike after reminding him to be careful.
His girls responded to his comment with their own chirps and whistles, making him laugh with glee.
He heard the familiar sounds of the gate opening, and he climbed onto his bike. A moment later and his girls were running beside them both. They zoomed into the forest with both of them keeping a close eye on the girls in case they tried anything. For the moment, they seemed focused on the hunt and kept looking at each other in excitement as though they were sharing some kind of secret. He gave them a confused look, wondering what they were thinking.
He felt the air rush past his face as he sped along, and he couldn’t keep a grin off his face. Glancing at Barry, the two made eye contact for a second until Barry looked away. He was surprised when he felt oddly sad about that, even though it was for the best, neither of them wanted to crash into a tree or anything.
His girls barked, signaling they’d caught the scent of prey. He whistled and watched as Echo and Charlie disappeared into the forest. Blue and Delta stayed by his side as he followed the chirps and whistles being passed back and forth to locate the prey they’d found.
Shutting off the engine, he signaled for the girls to go ahead. He followed them at a slower pace with Barry right beside him. Both of them scanned the forest, knowing to be vigilant in case of danger.
His girls silently surrounded their prey, and he watched as Blue's familiar whistle sounded out, and then the raptors were attacking. The parasaurolophus shrieked in surprise and found itself blocked by four hungry raptors. It tried to fight, but was no match for his girls, who easily took it down.
He stepped forward and watched as his girls stepped back. He was surprised when none of them snapped at each other to get back as he moved towards the fallen prey. He scanned the crowd and noticed Charlie was missing.
Heart racing, he scanned again to make sure she wasn’t trying to blend in. When he didn’t see his youngest, he turned to Barry in alarm and found him emerging from the forest with Charlie by his side and flowers in his hands.
“What?”
“I don’t know, she just gave me these flowers.”
He gave his youngest a confused look and watched as she joined her sisters. They talked amongst each other and then waited, giving them an expectant look. When neither of them moved, Echo huffed like the teenager she was and went to Barry.
“What are they doing?”
“I don’t know.”
Echo used her snout to shove him forward, and Barry gasped, stumbling forward. He went to grab him, and Barry thrust the flowers into his hands. His girls cheered in their own way as he was given the flowers. He looked at them for a long time and then at Barry and then back at his girls.
“You want him to give me flowers?”
Blue nodded, and he took them, not wanting to upset his girls, especially Charlie, who’d obviously picked them.
“Thank you, girls, I love them.”
Delta huffed, shaking her head, and Charlie wilted a little, looking at Barry sadly. He gave them a confused look, wondering what was wrong.
His girls then gestured impatiently for them to eat. He stepped forward like he usually did and pulled out his knife. Kneeling before the fallen dinosaur, he cut them open and pretended to eat. He then gestured for Barry, who did the same. The girls seemed very satisfied by this, and when he gestured for Blue to join, she merely shook her head.
He stood up, giving her a worried look and wondering if she was sick. Blue shook her head again, and when he offered food to the others, they all refused.
“Why aren’t you girls eating? Are you sick?”
He stepped closer, scanning them for signs of disease or injury. They all seemed healthy to him, but he was still worried.
Instead of answering, Charlie began barking and whining, giving her best impression of singing. Delta joined her, and he watched as Blue urged the two of them to eat.
Looking at the four of them, and was strangely reminded of the little mermaid, which made him burst into laughter despite the weird situation. Barry looked at him as though he were insane, which only made him laugh harder.
“What’s wrong with you?”
He struggled to answer as he continued laughing. The moment he made eye contact with Blue, it was all over. He almost imagined her sounding like Sebastian telling him to kiss the girl.
The raptors looked confused, and Charlie copied his laugh. Blue nudged them all away, knowing their parents needed privacy.
“Owen.”
“What?”
He wiped a tear, still smiling.
“The girls are gone.”
“What!?”
He turned around and, sure enough, all four of them had disappeared into the forest. He cursed and ran for his bike. Barry followed after him, and the two of them took off to find their girls. His heart raced, and he found himself wondering if they were trying to escape or if they were sick. Their behavior didn’t make sense. They’d been acting off all week, and Charlie gave him flowers, and none of them had eaten any of the prey they hunted. They’d also tried singing for some reason, or at least that's what he thinks it was.
Following the Raptors' whistles, he was confused because it sounded like they were hunting. He drove faster to see what was going on and found his girls snacking away at the prey they’d caught.
“What’s going on, girls?”
He wondered if there was something wrong with the other dinosaur they’d hunted, and that's why the girls hadn’t eaten. Although it didn’t make sense and he knew he was missing something. The girls didn’t answer; they just looked at him in surprise and confusion. Feeling exhausted, he sat down and let them eat. He’d tell Claire what happened, and that something was wrong with the Parasaurolophus, and that they needed to be checked for some kind of disease.
He felt someone sit next to him, and he looked over at Barry.
“I see you kept the flowers.”
“What?”
He looked down at his hand, surprised to see them. Although they were a little messed up, he didn’t care.
“Charlie did a good job picking these.”
“I don’t know why she gave them to me when they were meant for you.”
He shrugged, too tired to think about his raptor's crazy behavior. When he looked back at them, he found them watching the two of them. Charlie said something, and the others began talking. He didn’t know what they were saying, but it seemed harmless, and his girls looked happy. Relaxing slightly, he unconsciously leaned into Barry's side as he watched his girls eat and play together.